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<title>Chapter 11. Boost.DLL</title>
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<div class="chapter">
<div class="titlepage"><div>
<div><h2 class="title">
<a name="boost_dll"></a>Chapter 11. Boost.DLL</h2></div>
<div><div class="author"><h3 class="author">
<span class="firstname">Renato</span> <span class="surname">Forti</span>
</h3></div></div>
<div><div class="author"><h3 class="author">
<span class="firstname">Antony</span> <span class="surname">Polukhin</span>
</h3></div></div>
<div><p class="copyright">Copyright © 2014 Renato Tegon Forti, Antony Polukhin</p></div>
<div><p class="copyright">Copyright © 2015 Antony Polukhin</p></div>
<div><p class="copyright">Copyright © 2016 Antony Polukhin, Klemens Morgenstern</p></div>
<div><p class="copyright">Copyright © 2017-2025 Antony
      Polukhin</p></div>
<div><div class="legalnotice">
<a name="boost_dll.legal"></a><p>
        Distributed under the Boost Software License, Version 1.0. (See accompanying
        file LICENSE_1_0.txt or copy at http://www.boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt)
      </p>
</div></div>
</div></div>
<div class="toc">
<p><b>Table of Contents</b></p>
<dl class="toc">
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_dll.html#boost_dll.introduction">Motivation</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_dll/getting_started.html">Getting started</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_dll/tutorial.html">Tutorial</a></span></dt>
<dd><dl>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_dll/tutorial.html#boost_dll.tutorial.plugin_basics">Plugin basics</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_dll/tutorial.html#boost_dll.tutorial.factory_method_in_plugin">Factory
      method in plugin</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_dll/tutorial.html#boost_dll.tutorial.searching_for_a_symbol_in_multiple_plugins">Searching
      for a symbol in multiple plugins</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_dll/tutorial.html#boost_dll.tutorial.linking_plugin_into_the_executable">Linking
      plugin into the executable</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_dll/tutorial.html#boost_dll.tutorial.symbol_shadowing_problem__linux_">Symbol
      shadowing problem (Linux)</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_dll/tutorial.html#boost_dll.tutorial.executing_callbacks_on_library_unload">Executing
      callbacks on library unload</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_dll/tutorial.html#boost_dll.tutorial.querying_libraries_for_symbols">Querying
      libraries for symbols</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_dll/tutorial.html#boost_dll.tutorial.advanced_library_reference_counting">Advanced
      library reference counting</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_dll/tutorial.html#boost_dll.tutorial.importing_a_c_function_from_windows_dll">Importing
      a C function from Windows dll</a></span></dt>
</dl></dd>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_dll/mangled_import.html">Mangled Import</a></span></dt>
<dd><dl>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_dll/mangled_import.html#boost_dll.mangled_import.support___requirements">Support
      &amp; Requirements</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_dll/mangled_import.html#boost_dll.mangled_import.mangled_import_example">Mangled
      Import Example</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_dll/mangled_import.html#boost_dll.mangled_import.class_import">Class Import</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_dll/mangled_import.html#boost_dll.mangled_import.overloading_qualifiers">Overloading
      qualifiers</a></span></dt>
</dl></dd>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_dll/missuses.html">Missuses</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_dll/reference.html">Reference</a></span></dt>
<dd><dl>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_dll/reference.html#shared_library_reference">Shared Library Reference</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_dll/reference.html#shared_library_refcountable_reference">Shared Library Refcountable Reference</a></span></dt>
</dl></dd>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_dll/limitations.html">Limitations</a></span></dt>
<dd><dl>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_dll/limitations.html#boost_dll.limitations.exporting_weak_symbols__fails_on_mingw__android_">Exporting
      weak symbols (Fails on MinGW, Android)</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_dll/limitations.html#boost_dll.limitations.user_defined_section_names__fails_on_sunos___oracle_solaris_studio_compilers_">User
      defined section names (Fails on SunOS + Oracle Solaris Studio Compilers)</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_dll/limitations.html#boost_dll.limitations.multithread">Thread safe library
      loading (Fails on FreeBSD, MacOS, iOS and some other)</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_dll/limitations.html#boost_dll.limitations.nested">Nested Function Definitions</a></span></dt>
</dl></dd>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_dll/f_a_q_.html">F.A.Q.</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_dll/design_rationale.html">Design Rationale</a></span></dt>
<dd><dl>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_dll/design_rationale.html#boost_dll.design_rationale.abi_portability_across_compilers">ABI
      portability across compilers</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_dll/design_rationale.html#boost_dll.design_rationale.user_s_plugin_api">User's
      plugin API</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_dll/design_rationale.html#boost_dll.design_rationale.performance_and_memory_allocations">Performance
      and memory allocations</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_dll/design_rationale.html#boost_dll.design_rationale.self_loading">Self loading</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_dll/design_rationale.html#boost_dll.design_rationale.aliases_vs_mangling">Aliases
      vs Mangling</a></span></dt>
</dl></dd>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_dll/dependencies.html">Dependencies</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_dll/revision_history.html">Revision History</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_dll/acknowledgements.html">Acknowledgements</a></span></dt>
</dl>
</div>
<div class="section">
<div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both">
<a name="boost_dll.introduction"></a><a class="link" href="boost_dll.html#boost_dll.introduction" title="Motivation">Motivation</a>
</h2></div></div></div>
<p>
      Adding a specific features to an existing software applications at runtime
      could be useful in many cases. Such extensions, or plugins, are usually implemented
      using Dynamic Library Modules (DLL,SO/DSO) loaded at runtime.
    </p>
<p>
      This library was designed to simplify plugin development using C++ in a portable
      cross-platform manner.
    </p>
<p>
      Library provides a portable across platforms way to:
    </p>
<div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; ">
<li class="listitem">
          load libraries
        </li>
<li class="listitem">
          import any native functions and variables
        </li>
<li class="listitem">
          make alias names for C++ mangled functions and symbols
        </li>
<li class="listitem">
          query libraries for sections and exported symbols
        </li>
<li class="listitem">
          self loading and self querying
        </li>
<li class="listitem">
          getting program and module location by exported symbol
        </li>
</ul></div>
</div>
</div>
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